The Devil's Good Intentions by Kari Miller Read Free Book Online

around so her back was to him. She stopped breathing as he slowly unfastened her buttons and slipped the dress over her shoulders, before tugging it off completely. Wearing nothing but her petticoats and under clothes, she felt overly exposed. When she felt him grasp the hem of her petticoat bodice and start to pull it upwards, she quickly came to life and grabbed at his hands to stop him.
    “ No kitten. Tonight you will not fight me.” He declared as he continued to pull her petticoat over her head.
    When he tossed the thin piece of material to the floor beside her and stripped her of the skirt, she felt the sudden urge to run. Her muscles tensed and she stepped forward, but he was quicker and easily scooped her up into his arms and gently placed her on the bed.
    “ Please don’t do this!” She cried out as his eyes raked over her nearly nude body.
    When his eyes met hers again she could see his resolve.
    He sat down on the edge of the bed and proceeded to remove his boots. Slipping his shirt over his head to reveal a wall of muscles that flexed and strained under his tanned skin, he continued to remove his clothing.
    She was mesmerized by the power and beauty in this man, but still that did not ease her nerves. He leaned over and turned off the lantern leaving nothing but the soft glow and dancing shadows of the fire to play across their skin.
    ~
    Turning his attention back to her, he fought the urge to pounce and claim her as a wild animal would claim its mate. He had to keep reminding himself that she was a virgin and probably more frightened at this moment then she had been in a long time. He needed to prove to her that he wasn’t the brute that she thought him to be and from tonight on would do everything in his power to win her trust.
    He would go slowly with her tonight. By the time he claimed her, she would be a fiery body of passion eager for his touch.
    He slowly laid himself beside her and scooped her into his side, holding her to him.
    He heard her quick intake of breath and noted she wasn’t letting it go, he almost laughed out loud.
    “ Tell me about the time you spent over the past two years at the cottage” he prompted, hoping to get her talking to distract her enough to start his slow seduction.
    She let out her breath but remained silent.
    “ Please?” he prompted her, grateful that she was now breathing again.
    “ What do you want to know?” She asked reluctantly which made him smile.
    “ Did you have help?”
    “ No. I couldn’t let anyone know what I had been planning. When my Father passed away I just knew that I couldn’t dwell, so I quickly removed myself from my old life and started a new one.”
    “ You were alone the whole time?”
    “ Yes. The only contact I had with people was when I would attend the occasional ball, but even at those events I kept to myself.”
    “ That was a clever way to obtain food I must say” he commented.
    He felt her stiffen; it was probably embarrassment for having to abandon her pride in order to survive.
    “ You did what you had to do to survive, that’s nothing to be ashamed of and had I been in your shoes, I probably would not have been so clever.” He tried to assure her.
    Slowly she started to ease herself again.
    “ It was nice to be alone. I got used to it and truthfully after being alone for so long in such a secluded place, I am finding the company of others very over whelming.”
    He thought that maybe if he went through with that tower of hers she may even favour it! He silently chuckled to himself and then returned his attention back to his mission.
    “ Is that a hint, my dear?” he asked in mock hurt.
    “ Apparently hints roll right off your back as does blatant declarations!” She shot back, but judging by her body language and a slight change in her tone, he could sense that there was humour in her statement.
    “ Were you not scared?” He asked.
    “ No. I foolishly thought that I had discarded all traces of that cabin and it